LB°24 — About
Luleåbiennalen (The Luleå Biennial) is an international art biennial taking place in the northernmost region of Sweden. Initiated in 1991, it is the oldest art biennial in Scandinavia.
The Luleå Biennial (pronounced approximately like loo-lay-oh) has an incredible history, being run as a self organised art event for so long that it has turned into an institution. The biennial was initiated in 1991 by Kilen Art Group, under the name ARcTic Festival Luleå, and for over 20 years it presented local as well as international artists both within and outside of the art spaces in Luleå. The biennial took place during various times of year and throughout the tenure of Kilen as head of the project, it became known under several different names. Most seem to know about it as the Luleå Art Biennial (LAB).
In 2013, Luleå municipality was offered to take over the biennial and for five years it lay dormant in their care until Konstfrämjandet (The People's Movement for Art Promotion) took over the reigns in 2018. Despite the biennial's locally specific name, Konstfrämjandet introduced the ambition to turn it into a recurring art event presented throughout all of the Norrbotten region, in the north of Sweden. Since 2018 the biennial has presented exhibitions and events in Luleå, Boden, Jokkmokk, Kiruna, Korpilombolo, Malmberget, Storforsen, Arjeplog, Karasjok (Norway) and Messaure.
Konstfrämjandet Norrbotten operates with the aim of dismantling the usual, temporary structure which follows the biennial format. This is done by working alongside recurring partners from civil society, the cultural field and independent agents within the contemporary arts sector, in the process of planning and producing the Luleå Biennial. The organisation works actively on establishing long term structures both for the biennial itself as well as for the local cultural scene, by continuously underlining how art can engage and enrich both people and localities. With the help of the biennial, Konstfrämjandet Norrbotten wants to create conditions for locally anchored and internationally active practitioners to collaborate in cross-disciplinary ways, and make meaningful contributions to the place, the regionally active artists as well as the visitors.
About our digital aarchive
Since 2023 we are working on collecting and cataloguing information and documentations from all previous iterations of Luleåbiennalen in our archive, here on the website. Do you have images, photos or stories to tell about the earlier biennials, that you would like to share with us? Send an email to paulina.granat@konstframjandet.se!